United States slides to 9th of 33 manufacturing economies, its weakest finish in eleven years of the ranking
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — October 14, 2026 — The United States slid to 9th of 33 in Intratec's annual ranking of where to make industrial commodities, down from 8th in 2024 and its weakest finish in the report's eleven years. Manufacturing labor, counting everything an employer pays, rose 4% to $50.8 an hour, even with industrial energy 1% cheaper at $22.3 per MMBtu.
The Industry Economics & Competitiveness 2025 Annual Review scores 33 countries, together more than 80% of global manufacturing output, as places to make the commodities behind everyday products, from plastics to fertilizers and industrial metals. Each receives a 0–100 Country Score built from 14 pillars, including labor costs, industrial energy prices and taxes, across seven industries, all measured on the same basis. The list of 33 is held constant across editions, and the figures are full-year 2025 averages set against 2024.
At $50.8 an hour, American manufacturing labor costs more than seven times China's $6.7, and more than Canada's $38.7 and the United Kingdom's $40.4; Germany costs more, at $55.0. It is this cost, not any lack of industry, that leaves the country 9th of 33, one place lower than last year.
Scale keeps the United States near the top. It ranks 2nd of 33 for industrial production, behind only China, and 3rd for both the size of its home market and its tax environment. Employers pay a charge of just 8% on top of wages, the fourth-lightest of the 33. The other weak spot is market access: tariff protection ranks 31st of 33.
Alexandre Carvalho, Analyst, Industry Economics & Competitiveness, said: “At $50.8 an hour, all costs included, one American manufacturing worker costs more than seven Chinese ones — and construction labor has risen every year since 2015. Wage relief is not coming.”
The field around the United States is tight. China finished 1st for the eleventh consecutive year, and South Korea climbed four places to 8th, one place above the United States. Ranks 8 through 33 sit inside a 4.4-point band, so a small score move shifts several places; the US Country Score fell 1.4% to 50.9. The United States still holds the Americas' lone top-ten seat.
The ranking is free to read and the methodology is open. Everything in the report may be quoted, charted or republished with attribution.
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